A colourful fashion blog supporting independents & sustainable fashion in Bristol and beyond since 2011

Monday 30 December 2013

A Great British Christmas

Well, I thought it might be a while before I was back for more blogging fun after the Christmas festivities and with only a day to go until New Years Eve I thought I'd give you a quick look at the No Debutante family at Christmas in these rather random photographs. See us making Kawaii felt Christmas decorations, decorating the tree, Ice skating (in the pouring rain - only in the UK!!), Christmas Eve with the Santa sacks, a Kawaii Christmas Potato, father and son skelebones footwear and looking cool in our new Christmas skate t-shirts! I hope the photographs give you an idea of what we got up to and I shall look forward to sharing all my fashion news and more No Debutante fun and frolics in the New Year!














Have A Happy New Year!!!!

xoxoxox

ND xx


Tuesday 17 December 2013

No Debutante - Short Shorts

As Christmas gets closer and closer I have no idea how many blog posts I will manage to get finished before the big day comes. I like to hang out with my family on Christmas Eve watching Christmas films, I am not a happy kitten if I still have a ton of wrapping and organising to get done, last year we were still decorating on Christmas Eve and I only saw a bit of one film! Rubbish!! I'm glad to say that, so far, we are on schedule for a whole day of lazing about before Santa comes for my three (very excited) kids in a weeks time! The Christmas decorations are up, at least!

Today's personal style post mainly features my legs! I was in the mood for shorts despite the cold weather arriving and god damn it I was gonna wear 'em. A friend said, I made her feel cold which is ironic since my husband Phil says that I obsess over people not wrapping up enough in cold weather, for example every kid at the boys' school refuses to put a coat on (I am shaking my head at the thought of it) and Phil always wears the most flimsy of jackets over short sleeves during the colder months, he is NOT allowed to say he is cold in case I start to tell him off about his lack of warm layers! You get the idea...

Both outfits are based on a similar look of shorts, shirts and creeper shoes but are worn differently. The first outfit features my new favourite plaid / tartan shirt. Which is it tartan or plaid? It's annoying me that I can't decide! The look is a bit tomboy rockabilly and the denim shorts are so short they are barely visible under the untucked shirt. I popped on my oversized cardigan and some sports socks (to keep me warm, of course) and everything except the footwear is from Primark! I have put my hair up in the half victory roll half back down 1940s/ 50s style that has been dubbed a mullet by a few people. I heard mullets are making another comeback this Spring Summer but I shall stick with styling my hair into this mullet over going for the good ol' on top crop!

The second outfit is a bit more girlie and features my Topshop playsuit and denim shirt with the creepers and frilly ankle socks. I have twisted and victory rolled up my hair into another of the endless rockabilly hairstyles that I like to covet! I love having long hair!







The next post, which will hopefully be before Christmas, will be something different from the personal style posts of late (but I imagine it will feature me at some point) Watch this space for a post on a G-Star event that I attended back in the Autumn! 

Thanks so much for reading and I shall be back as soon as possible!! 

ND xx

Sunday 15 December 2013

No Debutante - Shirt and Sweet

Today's personal style post is a mash up of different rockabilly looks and hairstyles. For both outfits I am wearing shirts with my Vivien of Holloway 1950s jeans, ankle socks and creepers. Shirt tucked in or out? I like both.

 I love trying out different types of Victory rolls in my hair, I thought I wouldn't have thick / long enough hair to achieve a double victory roll but it is possible even on fine, mid length hair. When attempting rockabilly hairstyles backcombing is your friend, it also helps if you hair hasn't just been washed as it's not so flyaway and you'll have more control over it. Lots of people ask me if I put rollers in my hair or if I am wearing rollers!? I have never used rollers, I just take a section of hair, backcomb it from the root and then roll it up using my fingers. It's actually quite easy when you get used to it. I have thought about doing a YouTube tutorial but honestly there are loads of victory roll tutorials already on there, that's how I learnt how to do it. Ladies, get rolling!! 

You may also notice a little guest in today's photographs, isn't my little Sylvie Belle growing up? Sylvie is now two years old and loves princess dresses and wants pink hair like her Mummy! She is the cutest!! (My hair is pink now but not in these photographs, incase you were wondering...)










Three posts in one week? This is some sort of record for me these days! I'd like to say that I won't be wearing the tartan shirt in the next personal style post but then I would be lying. How many more ways can I possibly wear it before you see a repeat outfit? I can assure you it could go on for a long time, the possibilities are endless!

Thanks for joining me today and have a fantastic week on this run up to Christmas! Excited!!!  xx

ND xx

Tuesday 10 December 2013

No Debutante - One Shirt Two Ways

Here's a look at two of the ways I wear my plaid shirt. The shirt is from Primark and a new favourite item of mine. Both looks are pretty much rockabilly in style and the first outfit was the most popular on Instagram. Which look do you like the most?

For the first and most popular outfit I have paired the shirt with a crop top, 1950s Vivien of Holloway jeans and creepers with red ankle socks, I do not co-ordinate accessories on purpose, I just like red! 

The second and more quirky outfit I have worn the plaid shirt with a vest top, skater skirt and creepers worn with American Apparel tube socks. I do love swallow necklaces don't I? It's no wonder I ended up with swallow tattoos!









Today I had one of those days when I actually got stuff done, achieved a thing or two and now I have managed to write a blog post. I am feeling rather pleased with myself. 

Thanks for reading!

ND xx

Monday 9 December 2013

No Debutante - For Victory!

I have found it so difficult to find the time for blogging lately, this weekend saw no time for catching up on anything since it was rammed with swimming & football lessons, school Christmas fairs and parties and Phil's band The Relay Rips (check them out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB_YfXqcmVo  ) had a gig. We did find time to pick our Christmas tree from a local forestry which was very exciting and then the kids decorated it with as many decorations as they could possibly ram onto the tree. Minimal it is not! Happy Christmas!!

Finally I am back today with some more personal style pics. Both outfits are vintage inspired with a mix of 1940's land girls and 1950s style with a modern day rockabilly twist. 

For Victory - In the first outfit I have gone for a land girl, work wear inspired look with my Freddies of Pinewood vintage style dungarees, sleeveless denim shirt, headscarf and to keep me warm my oversized cardigan and camouflage jacket, worn with my signature ankle socks and creepers.

Fifties Throwback  - The second outfit is a little more glam 1950s. I am wearing a breton tee, my tapered high waist jeans from Harajuku, Japan with my leopard print fur, the ankle socks and creepers again and I have wrapped my victory rolled hair up in a headscarf for more 1950s glamour. 
I seemed to be quite camera happy for both shoots which means there are quite a few photographs to show you. I hope you like them. Which is your favourite look?? Hope  like The Relay Rips music video too!













OK kids, I don't mean to hurry you but there are only 14 days left to get your Christmas shopping done. Good Luck on your mission!

Thanks for reading and hello to my new followers, thanks for joining me!!
 See you later Fashionistas xx

ND xx

Monday 2 December 2013

Fresh Meat - The Story of My First Tattoo

The most permanent thing, next to having a child (or three) that I have done of late is to FINALLY get a tattoo. It has only taken me about twenty years to decide on the style and design of  a tattoo that would be personal to me. The other thing I was very conscious about was getting a tattoo that wouldn't date and it had to be something  I wouldn't regret after a few years.  After collecting many images on my Pinterest Tattoo board , I came to the conclusion that I really like traditional tattoos. I love Sailor Jerry style tattoos, traditional or rockabilly styles. I am also attracted to Kawaii style tattoos, not very rockabilly, but that's the Harajuku girl in me! I love Swallows, anchors, Russians Dolls, Lucky Cats and Roses, I think you get the general idea but here's a link to my Pinterest Tattoo board if you'd like to see more http://www.pinterest.com/nodebutante/tattoo/ 

Despite tattoos being an ongoing conversation with certain work mates and friends who are tattoo lovers, it took a chance meeting at a friends wedding  back in May this year where I was, coincidentally, recommend a certain tattoo studio by not one but two different sources on the same day. Check out the post from the wedding here http://no-debutante.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/no-debutante-rocknroll-wedding.html  to see the ridiculously cool, Jane and Mark Ireson and their amazing tattoos! Jane and Mark got most of their work done at Broad Street Studio in Bath, UK and totally convinced me that this was the place to go for traditional tattoos. So, after a few months of needlessly delaying the inevitable I was booked in with (the highly recommended) Jimmie at Broad Street  - check Broad Street Studio out here http://www.broadstreetstudio.co.uk/index.html  - I had come to the decision (not an easy one) to have a swallow on my back / lower shoulder and Jimmie instantly convinced me that it was traditional to have two swallows, so I agreed (tattoo getting bigger by the minute) and when I actually arrived to get the tattoo a few weeks later, I decided I wanted to add some flowers too! 

People were asking me if I was scared or anxious about getting my tattoo, it is true that I have had three kids, so I could perhaps hold my own and man up a bit about the pain but unfortunately I was a bit of a wimp during child birth (despite actually getting through it). The main worry for me was not the pain (although it did linger in my thoughts a bit) it was the fact that I was going to let Jimmie, who I'd only just met, design my tattoo for me. I was worried that I wouldn't like it, I am ridiculously fickle and perhaps a bit of a control freak, some might say, you ask  my hairdresser Vikki Mac, frankly, I'm a pain in the arse! So, yes my main worry was that I wouldn't like Jimmie's design. Thankfully I shouldn't have caused myself all of the stress,  Jimmie's design was completely unique, it included everything I had asked for, the swallows and the flowers in the traditional style, to be honest I am not really sure what I was expecting but I loved it and so did my husband Phil (who is next up for my tattoo obsession, he is fresh meat too and I think he'd rock a tattoo but that's another story) Jimmie explained the colours he'd be using and I agreed with him, then he went and set up. Yikes!

I had no idea how I was going to react to having my tattoo done or any idea of the pain. Jimmie  said it feels the way you would expect it to feel and as I felt a mild burning pain and scratching that seemed to come and go, I realised....I can handle this pain!! I can completely confirm childbirth is (as expected) much worse! After about 45 Minutes the tattoo was finished and I don't know whether the natural adrenaline had kicked in or if I had just got used to the feeling of it all but when the colours were added I could barely feel anything! Jimmie then asked me whether I had thought about getting another tattoo and I muttered something about a Russian Doll and was nearly booked in for my second tattoo there and then! I was tempted, I have to say. I still need to think it over but will attempt not to take twenty years about it this time!

I was very strict with the aftercare of my tattoo and kept it clean, covered in Bepanthen and wrapped in cling film for three days and to be honest, it never even scarred up, it still looks shiny and new, it looks perfect.  It couldn't have gone any better and I thoroughly recommend going to Broad Street Studio in Bath. Jimmie is a great artist and a really cool bloke as are the rest of the guys at Broad Street. The Broad Street Studio also seem to have a conscience and will not just tattoo anything that you request, they do not tattoo the face, neck or hands, and regularly turn down requests from girls wanting the signature Cheryl Cole hand tattoo, which I found amusing.

Want a tattoo? Stop being indecisive and get on with it, I really do not know why I didn't get mine sooner, the only thing is I get easily obsessed and addicted to a thing and tattoos are definitely addictive, luckily I also get easily distracted so I will turn my eye to another thing after I have got everything I want and before it becomes an obsession! I know when to stop, I only had three kids didn't I? 
I love my tattoo!!!!






 What do you think?? Hope you like it!! Thanks to Jimmie at Broad Street Studios for designing and giving me my amazing first tattoo. I love it!!!!!

Thanks for reading!

ND xx



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